Vale Railway

Copper Cliff smelter is at the top of the map (right of number 32) and Copper Cliff nickel refinery is at the bottom
Overview
Headquarters	Sudbury
Reporting mark	VAEX
Locale	Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Vale Railway (reporting mark VAEX^[1]), formerly the INCO Railway (reporting mark INCX^[2]), is an industrial railway operating in the City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is owned and operated by Vale Limited.

An internal, private railway, the line connects Vale's mines and processing plants that dominates the city's skyline. The line serves Copper Cliff North Mine, Copper Cliff South Mine, Creighton Mine, Frood Mine, Stobie Mine, Clarabelle Mill, Copper Cliff Smelter, and Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery. The isolated Levack mine spur in the north end of the city serves Coleman Mine and is operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The line was once entirely electrified along its route. Electrification began in 1926, but ended in 2000 in favour of diesel locomotives.^[3]

The following junctions exist with the line:^[4]

• Canadian Pacific Cartier Subdivision at Sprecher (MP 81.7) where loaded ore cars from Coleman Mine are delivered
• Canadian Pacific Cartier Subdivision at Levack (MP 102.5) where empty ore cars from Clarabelle Mill are delivered
• Canadian Pacific Nickel Subdivision at Clarabelle (MP 3.3) where freight is exchanged with both the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway
• Canadian Pacific Webbwood Subdivision (leased to Huron Central) at Copper Cliff (MP 4.8)

VAEX rosters 8 re-manufactured EMD GP38-4M locomotives for use on ore trains from the mines, slag trains from the smelter, or for local plant switching of various chemicals and products. These locomotives have upgraded electrical systems and are set up for remote operation.

• Bailey, Bram (April 1989). "Inco Limited's Electric Empire". Railfan & Railroad.
• Gansel, Kenneth A. W. (January 1981). "Inco Electric Railway: The Fire and Brimstone Route". Canadian Rail. No. 348.
• Wilson, Dale (September 2001). Sudbury Electrics and Diesels. Sudbury, Ontario: Nickel Belt Rails. ISBN 0-920356-12-5.
• "Inco Railway System in the Sudbury Area". Canadian Transportation. November 1947.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Inco Railway.

• Inco Rail History
• Railways of Sudbury